{"product_id":"african-water-fern-bolbitis-heudelotii-submersed-grown","title":"African Water Fern (Bolbitis heudelotii) — Submersed Grown","description":"\u003c!-- ============================================================\n     BEST4PETS.IN — PRODUCT DESCRIPTION BLOCK (DARK THEME)\n     African Water Fern (Bolbitis heudelotii) — submersed-grown\n     Paste into Shopify \u003e Product \u003e Description \u003e \"\u003c\u003e\" (Show HTML)\n     ============================================================ --\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#EAF0F5;line-height:1.65;font-size:16px;max-width:760px;\"\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- HOOK --\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"font-size:18px;line-height:1.6;margin:0 0 18px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eDark green, translucent, and built for moving water.\u003c\/strong\u003e Bolbitis grows on rock and submerged wood in fast West African streams, and its deeply cut, slightly crinkled fronds are shaped by that current — thin enough that light passes through them, tough enough not to tear. In a tank with decent flow the whole plant moves constantly. Nothing else in the hobby has that combination of texture and motion.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 22px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    It is an epiphyte, not a rooted plant. The rhizome fastens to hardscape rather than going into substrate, which means it works in a bare-bottom tank, a sand tank, or wedged into a rock wall, and it can be moved without disturbing anything. Slow-growing, long-lived, and one of the few plants that genuinely improves a hardscape rather than just filling space around it.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- SIGNATURE CALLOUT --\u003e\n  \u003cdiv style=\"border-left:4px solid #F2A03D;background:rgba(242,160,61,0.13);padding:14px 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;\"\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-size:15px;color:#F7E4CB;\"\u003e\n      \u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFC978;\"\u003eNever bury the rhizome.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin:0;font-size:15px;color:#F7E4CB;\"\u003e\n      The thick dark creeping stem the fronds grow from must stay in open water, tied or glued to wood or rock. Push it into substrate and it rots, taking the whole plant with it — exactly as with Anubias and Java Fern. Only the fine roots may touch the substrate, and they do not need to. If you are unsure, tie it to a piece of driftwood and leave it there.\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- SUBMERSED GROWN --\u003e\n  \u003cdiv style=\"border:1px solid rgba(95,212,196,0.35);background:rgba(95,212,196,0.08);border-radius:8px;padding:16px 18px;margin:0 0 30px;\"\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#5FD4C4;\"\u003eWhy submersed-grown matters here\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin:0;font-size:15px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n      Most aquarium plants are grown out of water at the nursery and convert once submerged, shedding their original leaves in the process. Bolbitis handles that badly — it is slow, so it takes months to replace what it drops, and emersed-grown stock frequently stalls or fails outright during the transition. These plants have been grown underwater throughout. What you receive is what will keep growing, with no melt-back period and no gamble.\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- QUICK FACTS --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eCare Snapshot\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n  \u003ctable style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:0 0 30px;font-size:15px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003ctbody\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);width:42%;color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eScientific name\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eBolbitis heudelotii\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eAlso known as\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eAfrican Water Fern, Congo Fern, African Fern\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eFamily\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eDryopteridaceae — a true fern\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eNursery-propagated; the species is West African\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eHabitat\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eRocks and wood in fast-flowing streams and rapids\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003ePlant type\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eEpiphyte — rhizome attaches to hardscape\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003ePlacement\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eMid-ground to background, on wood or rock\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eSize\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eRoughly 15–40 cm tall, spreading along the rhizome\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eGrowth rate\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eSlow — patience required\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eLighting\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eLow to medium; strong light invites algae on slow leaves\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eCO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c\/sub\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eNot required; growth is considerably faster with it\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eTemperature\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e20–26 °C — prefers the cooler end\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003epH\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e6.0–7.5 — slightly acidic preferred\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eHardness\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eSoft to moderately hard\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eFlow\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eModerate to strong — genuinely important\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eFertilisation\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eWater column only — root tabs do nothing for an epiphyte\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eDifficulty\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eModerate — easy to keep alive, harder to keep thriving\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003c\/tbody\u003e\n  \u003c\/table\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- ATTACHING --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eAttaching It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cul style=\"margin:0 0 30px;padding-left:20px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eTie or glue the rhizome to wood or rock.\u003c\/strong\u003e Cotton thread, fishing line or a dab of cyanoacrylate gel on the underside of the rhizome. The plant grips on its own within a few weeks and thread can be left to rot away.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eDriftwood over rock.\u003c\/strong\u003e It attaches faster and holds better on wood, and the dark fronds against wood grain is the look the plant is bought for.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003ePut it in the current.\u003c\/strong\u003e This is not optional decoration advice — moving water keeps the fronds clean, delivers nutrients to a plant with no substrate access, and is what the species is adapted to. A spot in front of the filter outflow is ideal.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eMount it where you can see through it.\u003c\/strong\u003e The fronds are semi-translucent. Backlit, or with open water behind them, they look completely different from a plant pressed against a background.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eDose the water column.\u003c\/strong\u003e An epiphyte feeds entirely from the water. A general liquid fertiliser with iron and traces is what keeps the fronds dark rather than pale.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eDo not expect speed.\u003c\/strong\u003e A few new fronds a month is normal progress. This is a plant you place once and watch fill in over a year.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- PROBLEMS --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eWhat Usually Goes Wrong\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 12px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eAlgae on the fronds.\u003c\/strong\u003e The classic Bolbitis problem. A slow-growing leaf under strong light in still water is an ideal surface for black brush algae. The answers are more flow and less light, not more scrubbing — the fronds are too finely cut to clean. Amano shrimp and otocinclus help at the margins.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 12px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eThe rhizome rots.\u003c\/strong\u003e Almost always because it was buried, or because it was pressed flat against a surface with no water movement around it. Lift it, cut away any soft black sections, and reattach the firm parts.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 30px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eFronds go pale or brown at the edges.\u003c\/strong\u003e Usually nutrient shortage in the water column, sometimes prolonged heat. Check dosing first, temperature second.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- PROPAGATION --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003ePropagation\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 30px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    Cut the rhizome with a sharp blade, leaving at least three or four fronds on each piece, and attach the division somewhere new. Smaller pieces survive but take a long time to become anything. A healthy plant also produces adventitious plantlets on older fronds, which can be detached once they have their own roots and fronds. Either way this is a slow business — divide once a year at most, and only when the parent has clearly outgrown its position.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- TANK --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eWhat It Pairs With\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 30px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    Shrimp-safe and snail-safe, and tough enough to ignore most community fish — nothing grazes it, and it has no substrate to be uprooted from, so it survives Corydoras, loaches, and larger cichlids that would wreck a rooted plant. It is the obvious partner for the hillstream and fast-water fish in our range, where the same current it wants is already in place: hillstream loaches, \u003cem\u003eStiphodon\u003c\/em\u003e gobies, danionins. It also sits naturally with Anubias and Java Fern on the same hardscape, all three on identical care.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- INDIA NOTES --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eGrowing It In Indian Conditions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cul style=\"margin:0 0 30px;padding-left:20px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eTemperature is the real constraint, not water chemistry.\u003c\/strong\u003e This is a cool-stream plant that does best below about 26 °C. In a warm tank it slows further, stops producing fronds, and becomes an algae magnet. Through April and May across the plains and the coast, expect it to stall — and plan for a fan across the surface if you want it to hold.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003eBengaluru, Pune and hill-station tanks suit it far better, and are where it is genuinely worth the investment.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eHard alkaline tap water is workable but not ideal.\u003c\/strong\u003e It prefers slightly acidic and softer conditions. Driftwood and catappa in the tank help, and if you already run a blackwater setup this plant fits it well.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eFlow is cheap and it is the highest-return thing you can add.\u003c\/strong\u003e A small circulation pump aimed across the plant does more for Bolbitis in an Indian tank than lighting or fertiliser upgrades, and it helps with summer oxygen at the same time.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- WHAT YOU GET --\u003e\n  \u003cdiv style=\"border-top:2px solid #5FD4C4;padding-top:18px;\"\u003e\n    \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eWhat You Receive\u003c\/h3\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-size:15px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n      Submersed-grown, nursery-propagated plants held and conditioned at our Bengaluru facility. No wild-collected stock. Because these have been grown underwater throughout, there is no emersed-to-submersed conversion and no melt-back period — the fronds you receive are the fronds that continue growing. Frond size and count vary naturally between plants. Attach the rhizome to wood or rock; do not bury it.\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin:0;font-size:15px;color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003e\n      Covered by the Best4Pets live arrival guarantee. Please film an unboxing video before opening the bag — it is required for any DOA claim.\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Best4Pets","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44961246281817,"sku":null,"price":850.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0075\/9814\/5587\/files\/bolbitis-heudelotii.jpg?v=1790227316","url":"https:\/\/www.best4pets.in\/products\/african-water-fern-bolbitis-heudelotii-submersed-grown","provider":"Best4Pets","version":"1.0","type":"link"}